City Council Speaker Julie Menin has drawn a clear line in the political sand. She rejected calls for Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the upcoming 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11th attacks. She called the push “absolutely inappropriate.” This dispute cuts to the heart of how New York City grieves its most profound collective trauma. It also tests the boundaries between memory and modern political division.
Menin spoke on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show. She responded to an online petition with nearly 89,000 signatures. The petition asks organizers to reconsider Mamdani’s participation. It also responds to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. Blakeman urged attendees to turn their backs on the mayor if he attends. “I don’t agree with that at all,” Menin stated firmly.
Her authority on this subject is deeply personal and professional. Menin served on the jury that selected the 9/11 Memorial design. She has served on its board and foundation since its creation. She previously chaired Manhattan Community Board 1 for seven years during the post-9/11 recovery. She helped shape the ceremony’s very ethos. That ethos deliberately keeps elected officials in the background while victims’ families read names.
“One of the things we did is we made sure that there was no politicization of the events of 9/11 when we are honoring those lives that were lost,” Menin explained. She pointed to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s precedent. He ensured no political speeches were given at the ceremony. “So, those that are trying to politicize this, what is happening on the 25th anniversary, I think that that is unfortunate.”
The controversy centers on Mayor Mamdani’s political associations and past statements. Critics, including some 9/11 family members, cite these as disqualifying. Petition founder Giovanni Galante lost his wife in the attacks. He told CBS New York that “having Mamdani there would show a disrespect to our family members because of the people he supports.”
Bruce Blakeman, whose nephew died in the South Tower, has been more confrontational. He said Mamdani is “not welcome there.” He suggested a silent protest of turning backs. This framing transforms a day of unity into a potential theater of political conflict.
Yet other voices within the 9/11 community urge a different path. Elizabeth Miller’s father died in the attacks. She is project director of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. She told CBS New York the focus should remain on the loved ones lost. “Mayor Mamdani has assured 9/11 families that he wants to be there to honor our loved ones, and I think he should be allowed to do that,” Miller said.
The mayor has struck a conciliatory tone. At a recent press conference, he did not criticize his opponents. He affirmed his intention to stand with families and survivors. “I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted,” Mamdani said. He framed his attendance as an act of civic remembrance for all who call the city and country home.
Ironically, Menin and Mamdani have recently worked together on a major 9/11 legacy issue. They agreed in this year’s city budget to fund a $34.2 million portal. It will centralize post-9/11 air quality and health records. The first documents are expected before the 25th anniversary. This is a substantive, non-political effort to aid survivors and families dealing with long-term health consequences.
Even some of Mamdani’s staunch critics see the upcoming day as sacrosanct. Staten Island activist Scott LoBaido has proposed a Sept. 11 “ceasefire” with the mayor. This sentiment acknowledges the day’s unique solemnity. It suggests a temporary truce in the city’s relentless political battles.
From my vantage point covering congressional and city politics, this controversy reveals a fragile consensus. For over two decades, the 9/11 ceremony has been a rare depoliticized space. Its power lies in its simplicity and its focus on personal loss over political gain. The current calls to exclude a sitting mayor, regardless of his politics, threaten that consensus. They inject the very partisanship the ceremony’s architects worked so hard to prevent.
Speaker Menin’s defense is not an endorsement of Mamdani’s politics. It is a defense of the ceremony’s foundational principle. When the reading of names begins, the title of “mayor” recedes. In that moment, he is another New Yorker bearing witness to an unimaginable loss. The effort to politicize his presence, however heartfelt by some families, risks undermining the unity the day demands. The true test will be whether the ceremony’s tradition of quiet dignity can hold against the rising tide of our divisive times.
- Menin’s personal and professional authority
- Dispute over Mamdani’s attendance
- Online petition with 89,000 signatures
- Critics cite political associations
- Controversy transforming unity into conflict
- Call for a temporary truce on Sept. 11
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Mayor’s Attendance | Controversial due to political divisions. |
| Menin’s Role | Key figure in 9/11 Memorial design. |
| Community Responses | Vary from support to opposition. |
| Public Sentiment | Call for non-politicization of the event. |
| Petition Signatures | Nearly 89,000 against Mamdani’s presence. |
| Past Collaborations | Worked together on 9/11 legacy issues. |
